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Guest Post by Maddi: All About College

Well I have officially been in the Big Apple for 2 full days now! If you want to know what is happening around these bloggy parts while I am away read the post here. The first person to guest post on the blog is my sister! So lets dive on in!Hi readers! My name is Maddison Rickard and I am Mariah's younger sister. I am 17 years old, but I turn 18 in 4 days! I am a senior in high school and plan on attending California Baptist University in the fall of 2014. I hope to double major in Business and Performing Arts/Theater. One day I hope to open up my own studio and teach kids voice, dance, and theater.

The fact that I am starting collge in less then a year is what I want to talk about. Pretty much everyone graduates high school! I mean being a senior is stressful. Right?! Full of SATs, college apps, and scholarship apps. All while trying to keep your grades up before graduation in June!

Now I do not go to regular school like most kids. I am homeschooled through a program where I go to school two days. Being charter schooled may make my class load lighter and my schedule a bit easier since I only attend classes twice a week. However, I am far from laid back! Not only am I taking 2 classes on campus, one online, and theater; I also work at a daycare part time on my days off from class. Put this all together and then try and add getting prepared for college into the mix? That makes for one crazy life!

Preparing for college though, is what I've been doing my whole life. I know not every student is like this, but that is how I was raised. You go to highschool and then to college. Taking college prep classes, participating in theater, and holding down a part time job has all been preparation for what is to come next in life. I may be stressed, but I am far from depressed.I realized that the best way to prepare for college is to get a head start. This summer I toured many college campuses and requested info for the out of state universities I was interested in. This was crucial in making an early decision.

Next, I set up auditions for choir and theater programs. This is actually the step when I chose a college. Financially, when comparing my top three choices, CBU was the wisest. So since I had chosen a college at this point, I applied the moment I could. I then began filling out as many scholarship applications I could. Money is crucial to my dream of living on campus. Finally, I took my SAT test. I am actually due to receive my scores back any day now.

College planning may seem like a lot. This is actually very true, it is a lot. It's a lot of very hard work. But it is totally worth it. When I see Mariah and how she has thrived at CBU in such an aweseome college environment, it only makes me more excited for campus life. I know that all my hard work and stress will eventually be worth it in the end.

What was it like when you choose a college? Were there certain aspects that played into your college choice?